A branch of Ogero in Hazmieh, in the suburbs of Beirut. (Credit: P.H.B./L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — Telephone codes will soon be changed for landlines connected through fiber-optic cables in certain regions in Lebanon, an Ogero source confirmed with L'Orient-Le Jour.
For these numbers, the 0 in the prefix will be replaced by a 2. In Beirut, for example, where subscribers in certain neighborhoods such as Achrafieh and Ras Beirut are concerned, the 01 dialed before the number will become 21.
The source at Ogero explained that this change is a result of new exchanges being installed to facilitate the transition from fixed-line Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) networks to the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) system. TDM is a communication technology that transmits several signals on a single channel. IMS enables both fixed and mobile multimedia services to be provided. The transition will also involve moving from copper to fiber-optic cables.
The Beirut neighborhoods of Achrafieh and Ras Beirut will be the first to undergo the procedure, followed by Hamra in Beirut and Hazmieh in the southeast of the capital. Deployment will then gradually extend to other regions of the country.
According to another source familiar with the changes, the change in prexies is also due to the fact that, when the fiber-optic cables are installed, Ogero has to change exchanges, which would normally require subscribers to have a new telephone number. To avoid such changes, it was decided to change only the prefixes. Very few regions are affected by the change so far, the same source added.
Similar changes were implemented a few years ago in certain regions of Metn, notably in Broummana, for the same reasons.